It wasn't until we reached the 20th floor that the monsters began to stray away in likeness to the bunny humanoids we'd fought on the lower floors. They were still bipedal and furry, but they had more defined canine or feline features, and their bodies were more muscular. They wielded crude, yet effective-looking weapons and had a bestial snarl about them. Some weren't even animalistic. Still...

[Name: Reaper Rabbit | Level: 20]

[Health: 2100 | Strength: 350]

[Speed: 400 | Magic: 160]

[Name: Tormented Carrot | Level: 20]

[Health: 2550 | Strength: 290]

[Speed: 200 | Magic: 200]

[Name: Egg Plant Wight | Level: 20]

[Health: 2800 | Strength: 340]

[Speed: 100 | Magic: 250]

They were still weak compared to me, and as I cut them down, I noticed that Tommy and Sarah were leveling up quickly. I couldn't help but feel a slight jealousy, though I knew it was because my case was a special one.

[Hand of Thanatos bonus damage: +957]

[Party Leader: Tommy Zhen | Level: 248]

[Sarah Hullin | Level: 234]

"Holy shit, Luke!" Tommy exclaimed as I finished killing the mobs in our way. "You boosted our levels and cleared the floors Sarah and I had a hard time even starting..."

"Yeah, it's... pretty awesome," Sarah agreed, her eyes flickering between Tommy and me. "Thanks for carrying us, dude."

"Haha, y-yeah..." I scratched the back of my head, embarrassed by their compliments. "Well, time to go to the Safe Zone."

"Hell yeah," Tommy flashed a grin. "I can't wait to see what the 20th floor Safe Zone looks like. Think it'll look the same as the 10th floor Safe Zone?"

"I don't know," I said, following him and Sarah. "Maybe it'll be a bit fancier."

Just before we went through the green portal, the Hand of Thanatos shook slightly in my hands. I glanced down, curious.

"What the heck?" I murmured, feeling a slight vibration from the scythe.

"What?" Tommy glanced back at me. The Hand of Thanatos stopped vibrating, causing me to shrug and shake my head. I slipped the scythe back into my Inventory.

"It's nothing. Come on, let's go."

----------------------------------------

When we found ourselves in the 20th floor Safe Zone, we saw that it was much fancier than the 10th floor. Instead of a fantasy town, it resembled a lavish kingdom, filled with towering castles and lush gardens. The air was perfumed with the scent of roses and the sound of laughter. Players of all shapes and sizes milled about, chatting and enjoying themselves. Small shops of every variety lined the cobblestone walkways and a grand castle stood in the distance, its spires reaching for the sky.

Sarah squealed, clasping her hands together in excitement. "Wow! This place is amazing! Look at all those shops and that castle!" she exclaimed, pointing toward the grand structure in the distance. "Do you think we can go inside?"

"That's probably where the portal to the next floor is," Tommy grinned, intertwining a hand with Sarah's. "Let's check out the stuff out here before we go to the castle."

"Ugh, how gross," I muttered at their affectionate display, feeling envious of their relationship. That feeling quickly went away when a system message popped up in front of me.

[Congratulations! You have earned the achievement: 'Bullying the Weak!']

I recoiled from the name, but tapped on it regardless, hoping that the Achievement would give me some sort of bonus.

[Achievement: Bullying the Weak!]

[Acquired by clearing the first 20 floors without taking damage & having more Strength than every encountered enemy.]

[Description: As a Player, you have demonstrated a clear show of power and dominance against those weaker than you.]

[._.;; This seems like something a sadist would have. I can't tell what your preference is now.]

Another dud, and it didn't feel very good to have this Achievement on my record. I quickly cleared the screens in shame, trailing after the oblivious Tommy and Sarah.

"Welcome to the 20th floor Safe Zone," A new pair of IP personnel greeted us as we walked up to the guard post. They were dressed in ornate, gold-trimmed armor and held polished longswords at their sides. "Enjoy your time here. As a reminder, all shops close at midnight, and the portal to the next floor will be closing in five hours. The same rules from the 10th floor Safe Zone apply here as well. Have fun!"

I tutted in disappointment. I wanted to at least check out the next couple of floors to see if I could level up, but it was getting late, after all. It made sense that they'd want to keep Players safe during the night.

"Hey, look at this!" Sarah exclaimed, pointing to a nearby shop. "They're selling those really cute stuffed animals I've been wanting! Can we get some, Toms?"

"Toms?" I muttered under my breath. "Don't tell me they have cute nicknames for each other."

"Of course, sweetheart." Tommy smiled, taking her hand. "We can get as many as you want."

I made a face, but quickly composed myself, waving a hand at them. "You two can take some time to yourselves and explore. I'll go by myself. Let's meet in front of the castle in 20 so we can check out the inside?"

Sarah and Tommy exchanged a quick glance before nodding in agreement. With a smile, they walked off, their hands still entwined. I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as I watched them go, but I pushed the feeling down. There was no point dwelling on it.

I took care to Shroud my stats a bit, tweaking the numbers and my level to match Tommy's. Then I walked around, browsing the shops and looking for anything interesting. There were a lot of shops that sold weapons and armor, but I didn't really care about that stuff. I was more interested in finding things that would improve my stats or give me some sort of advantage in the game. After a while of searching, I stumbled upon a shop that sold magic items.

There weren't many customers there, and the owner was an elderly woman who seemed quite friendly. I stepped inside, feeling immediately welcomed. The shop was cozy, with a warm fireplace in the corner and shelves lining the walls, stacked with all manner of magical items.

"Hello, dear! How can I help you find something special today?" the old woman asked with a smile, her wrinkled face crinkling even more.

"Hi," I replied, concentrating for a moment.

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[Name: Lucinda Belvere | Level: N/A]

[Health: ??? | Strength: ???]

[Speed: ??? | Magic: ???]

I knew it. This woman was an NPC. I was a little surprised to see such an entity, but I guess it wasn't too far-fetched to expect something like this anymore.

"I'm... er, just browsing around," I offered Lucinda a smile. "Just seeing if anything catches my eye."

The old woman chuckled, waving a gnarled hand at me. "Of course, dear. Take your time. I'm always here to help." She gestured to a small, velvet-lined display case near the back of the shop. "Those are some of my finest pieces. Each one has a unique enchantment that could prove quite useful to a Player such as yourself."

[Wait, do you even have the funds to purchase anything?]

Fuck. I forgot about that.

"O-on second thought, maybe I'll come back," I said to Lucinda with a sheepish grin. "I'm not very liquid on money right now."

The old woman chuckled again, her wrinkled face crinkling even more. "Oh, dear, don't worry about that. You know, sometimes the best things in life are free. Why don't you come back when you have a bit more coin in your pocket? I'd be more than happy to help you find something wonderful."

"Thanks." I turned to exit the shop when my phone buzzed. A blue message screen simultaneously popped up in front of my face.

[System alert: Dungeon break has occurred in the Lambda Sector.]

"Oh fuck," I muttered, seeing another blue screen pop up.

[Yo, did you see the system alert? - Tommy Zhen]

Whoa, I could send my own messages to other players? That was kinda cool. I typed up a response.

[Yeah, I saw it. Do we need to go? -Luquier Vaunt]

[Yep. Since we're from Lambda Sector, most Players from there are encouraged to go. We'll see what kind of requirements and shit the dungeon break has for us. -Tommy Zhen]

[All right. Meet at the 20th floor exit now? -Luquier Vaunt]

[Sarah and I are already there. -Tommy Zhen]

I closed the message screens and took a deep breath, preparing to head to the red portal. As I opened the door, Lucinda cleared her throat behind me.

"Player."

I turned back to glance at the old woman with a raised eyebrow. "Er, yeah?"

"Just be careful, dear. Those dungeon breaks can be dangerous, even for someone as skilled as yourself. But I have faith in you. You're one of the strongest Players I've seen in the Sector, after all." She smiled warmly, her wrinkled face creasing even further.

"Oh... thanks," I said, feeling a little embarrassed by the old woman's praise. "I'll, uh... keep that in mind." I quickly ran out, jogging over to where a crowd of Players were already using the red portal to get back to the real world.

[She was a nice lady. Maybe you could go on a date with her next time.]

"First of all, she's an NPC. Second, no way. She's old enough to be my grandma." I scowled at Sephera's message.

[Age is just a number :x]

I caught sight of Sarah and Tommy waiting for me near the red portal. Catching up with them, Tommy gave me a perplexed look.

"Seems like the dungeon break is going to be difficult," he said, glancing at Sarah. "I mean, we don't even know what we're up against yet, but the Players on site are saying we're not strong enough."

"Not yet," I muttered, following them into the red portal. "But hopefully it'll be something on my level."

----------------------------------------

The night felt ominous as Tommy drove the three of us to the dungeon break, which was relatively close by to the tower, about a 15 minute detour. Along the way, Tommy gave me a brief explanation about the intricacies of the tower. Each tower around the world acted as a sort of regional server, so Players who entered the same one would often see each other on the floors that they climbed. Safe Zones were the closest thing we could get to a shared global zone. Since the three of us had entered the tower in the Lambda Sector, that explained why only we, along with others from the same Sector, received the alert for the dungeon break.

When we finally arrived, we could see a sizable crowd of Players surrounding the entrance to the dungeon, with some officials from the GPA trying to organize the commotion.

Once the three of us joined the crowd of Players, a couple of message screens popped up in front of me.

[Dungeon: Mountain of the Unforgiving]

[Level: 28]

[Requirements: Access granted to Players with Titles A-rank or above & minimum 1000 Health.]

[Time Remaining: 00:01:43]

"What the fuck?" Tommy grumbled as he read through the message screen. "A Title rank restriction AND a Health minimum? That significantly cuts down the number of Players that can enter."

"And there's a 2 hour limit clear," Sarah chipped in worriedly.

"But... I'm able to enter," I said quietly, feeling a sense of excitement well up within me. This was the perfect chance for me to finally test out my Skills.

"Luke... you might be ridiculously overstatted, but dungeon breaks are different from the tower floors," Tommy warned. "You can't use Warp Cubes or anything similar, so once you enter, you're stuck in there till you either defeat the boss, or clear whatever condition the dungeon has set."

"That's fine by me," I said with a confident smile. "I'm sure I can handle whatever's in there."

"Bro, I'm not sure-"

"Attention, all Players," one of the GPA officials announced. "Due to the requirements of the dungeon, we ask that all eligible Players please come forward to help clear the dungeon break."

I glanced at Tommy and Sarah, giving them a small but reassuring smile. "Trust me."

Tommy looked as if he wanted to argue, but then shook his head and sighed. "Alright. I trust you. Don't die on me, bastard."

[Hey! This is your chance to tell him about your masochism.]

"I'll tell him after I clear the dungeon," I whispered back to Sephera.

[ :\\\ You are so dramatic.]

As I pushed through the crowd to get to the front, I could feel the anticipation and tension in the air. When I finally arrived at the entrance to the dungeon, I saw someone I recognized.

"Oh? Luquier?"

Tessa grinned at me, her red eyes flashing with amusement. "I was hoping you would come."

"Well, I didn't have anything better to do," I replied with a shrug. "Besides, I wanted to see if I could finally test out my Skills in a real fight."

"What the? Who let this newbie in?" A man standing beside her sneered. "You're gonna get us all killed, you know that?"

With a crew cut and a scowl, he wore a simple tank top and camo pants, giving the appearance of a military man. His beady dark eyes narrowed at me with disgust, as if I were a fly to him.

I blinked in confusion, then remembered I still had the Shrouded effect active. I was about to turn it off before Tessa stopped me with a hand.

"Krion, Luquier is strong enough to enter. In fact, I think he might just be the MVP of our little party." Tessa said, glancing at me with a knowing smile. Krion, the man beside her, sputtered indignantly.

"Are you joking? He's only level 248 with 1000 Health and barely breaking 200 in all other stats. He'll die immediately!"

Asshole. This dude was talking shit about Tommy's Stats that I altered mine to match. I kept my irritation down and brought up Krion's Status Window.

[Name: Krion Evans | Level: 457]

[Title: Blessed Radiance (A)]

[Health: 1390 | Strength: 305]

[Speed: 305 | Magic: 300]

[Risk: 0 | Stat Points: 0]

[Experience: 48%]

I fought back a laugh. This guy wasn't weak, but compared to me, he was a joke. "I'll take that as a challenge," I replied, a grin spreading across my face. "Let's see what I can really do."

"I don't care what you say, Tessa," Krion growled. "I'm not going to heal him if he gets hurt."

"Krion–"

"That's fine. I can do that then." A new voice joined the three of us. We all turned to look at the newcomer, who I also recognized.

[Omg, she's back~]

"We meet again, Reckless Immortal," Celine nodded at me, her tone flat and even.

"Oh, hey–"

"Wait, Chronia's sister is joining us?" Krion suddenly changed his attitude, seemingly relieved and happy. "Great. We'll clear this dungeon break in no time. Tessa, you and Celine will carry us!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Celine raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "Luquier might surprise you."

"Huh?" Krion frowned at her in confusion.

"She's right," Tessa chipped in with a smile. "I'm very excited to see Luquier in action."

As Krion stammered with bewilderment at the two women's approval of me, I was feeling immense pressure from their expectations. I didn't expect to have such an established audience.

[Good luck, Player! I believe in you! \^O^/ ]

"Th-thanks, Sephera..." I whispered weakly under my breath.

****

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: (248) 17]

[Title: Reckless Immortal (A)]

[Health: (1000) 10000 | Strength: (110) 4305]

[Speed: (110) 4205 | Magic: (135) 4310]

[Risk: (0) 2075 | Stat Points: 0]

[Experience: 86%]

[Skills]

[Divinity (Passive)]

[Holy Element 17/17]

[Death’s Shadow 17/17]

[Reap 17/17]

[Final Gambit 17/17]

[Death Match 1/?]

[Achievements]

[Even Death Can't Stop Me!]

[Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.]

[Untouchable.]

[New Beginnings.]

[Bullying the Weak!]

[Items]

[Silver Serpent]

[Hand of Thanatos (+957)]

[Warp Cube (x1)]